For me, there can be no "ultimate upland gun." To have one gun handle first shots on woodcock at 18 yds and second shots on wounded pheasants at 50 yards requires either 1) choke tubes or 2) a big compromise. Neither is acceptable to me.
By going to 2 guns, I can have the "ultimate upland battery." One gun suits my ideal for grouse and woodcock in the woods; the other suits my ideal for pheasants, sharptails, huns in the open. I doubt few here would use a "grouse" gun in the duck blind, or vice versa, and if I hunted waterfowl I'd have a third gun in my battery.
Each has my ideal weight, blance, barrel length and choking for the job at hand. In the woods I use a 6.1 lb, 26", 20ga Fox, balanced on the hinge and choked Sk/Mod. For plains birds I use a 7 lb, 30", 16ga Fox, balance 3/8" ahead of the hinge and choked IC/IM.
